Wednesday, an Israeli surveillance plane fired a missile at a Palestinian vehicle near Tal Al Hawa area, south of Gaza City. The missile missed its target and the vehicle sped away, Palestinian sources reported.
The explosion caused no injuries among the residents. The targeted vehicle apparently carried fighters of the Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad.
The incident comes after the Israeli army shelled areas in the northern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli army sources claimed that the army is not involved in the assassination attempt, which was carried out after Palestinian fighters fired several homemade shells at the Israeli Negev town of Sderot. One shell landed near the house of the Israeli Minister of Defense, Amir Peretz, while another shell hit the rooftop of another house.
The Islamic Jihad issued a press release holding Israel responsible for the recent escalation, adding that the shells were fired in response to the assassination of the leader of the Islamic Jihad and his brother in Beirut several days ago.
Over the last two days Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in several military attacks in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
